Nearly three years after Qatargate, Brussels is rocked by another major scandal: Belgian authorities have detained former EU foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini and top diplomat Stefano Sannino in a fraud probe involving the EU’s diplomatic academy. The probe is already fuelling calls for accountability at the highest levels of the Commission.
Matt Van Epps of the Republican Party defeated Democrat nominee Aftyn Behn, who has been dubbed as ‘the AOC of Tennessee’ by right-wing media, in the special election for the vacant seat in the US House of Representatives in Tennessee’s 7th congressional district. The GOP retains their 220 House seats, while Democrats currently have 214.
‘Following an embarrassing spectacle in Ireland that saw nearly 13 per cent of voters cast “spoilt” ballots while an unapologetic leftist cruised to victory in the Irish presidential race, establishment-liberal politicians like Tánaiste [Deputy Prime Minister] Simon Harris exhibited timid initial signs of policy reversal on the immigration issue.’
Hungary has become a net contributor to the European Union for the first time since its 2004 accession, as frozen EU funds continue to distort the financial balance. With Budapest paying more into the common budget than it receives, the economic impact of the European Commission’s political blackmail campaign is increasingly visible ahead of the 2026 election.
‘The Commission’s initiative…is more than just stigmatizing content deemed “false” by Brussels’s fact-checkers. It is also about setting up a closely aligned network in Europe that can coordinate to spread “correct” and “truthful” information—while being paid by Brussels.’
The average price of a gallon of regular gasoline has fallen to $2.998 in the United States, according to AAA. The last time the average gas price was below $3 was on 11 May 2021; and it even climbed up to as high as $5.016 in the summer of 2022 during the Biden administration.
‘The Pope should ensure that the Christians of Lebanon have a united vision for the future of their country, which they can convey to their fellow compatriots from different religious backgrounds.’
‘Some hope that if Reform UK win the next election that the situation will get better. But the reality is that Britain’s problems are structural. The country is in terminal economic decline, and the state is close to bankruptcy.’
Hungary has risen from sixth to second place among Israeli travel destinations, driven by public safety and Budapest’s pro-Israel policies. As Israeli tourism surges and travellers favour countries seen as friendly to Israel, Hungary is expected to welcome a record number of visitors this holiday season.
‘The so-called “populist wave” is not the enemy of democracy; it is the symptom of liberal democracy’s philosophical exhaustion.’